Supreme Court go-ahead to MCI for common entrance exam

The Supreme Court has given its go-ahead to the Medical Council of India (MCI) for holding the first-ever common entrance examination for admission to MBBS, BDS and post-graduate courses but restrained it from declaring the results until further orders.

The court also allowed various states, universities and other institutions entitled to conduct their respective examinations for MBBS, BDS and post-graduate courses to do so but not declare the results till its further orders.

Taking up a bunch of petitions questioning applicability of the MCI decision to conduct the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to both MBBS and post-graduate courses in medicine as well as dental courses, a bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir also directed transfer of all petitions pending in various courts to it by January 15, 2013.
Noting that the pending matter needs to be heard and decided soon, the CJI also directed that all transferred cases and writ petitions be listed for final hearing and disposal on January 15, 16 and 17.

The Supreme Court said, “While we are of the view that the main matters which are pending need to be heard and decided at an early stage, the time taken in hearing the matters should be utilised in allowing the students to sit for their respective examinations, which are already notified.”

The order further stated, “In the meantime, the Medical Council of India, the Dental Council of India, as well as the States and Universities and other Institutions, will be entitled to conduct their respective examinations for the MBBS, BDS and post-graduate courses, but shall not declare the results of the same, until further orders of this court.”

“Wide publicity may also be given to this order by the states, Union of India, Medical Council of India and the Dental Council of India so that the students, who are intending to sit for the entrance examination, may have knowledge of the same.”

The court also directed counsels for respective parties to make available their written submissions before it by January 7.

The CBSE will hold the first NEET-UG for under-graduate medical and dental courses in May 2013 on behalf of MCI and DCI, while the National Board of Examinations (NBE) has already held the NEET-PG for post-graduate medical and dental courses earlier this month.